Gold-mining device



(No Model.)

A. MENDENHALL.

GOLD MINING DEVICE.

1 l u /I J J, 8 l Nr.1 8 .QW/NW 1 IL f PatentedApr. 5

I UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

Ainos MENDENHALL, on IiNIoNPon'r, INDIANA.'

GOLD-MINING DEVICE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters APatent No. 360,713, dated April 5.1887. Application tiled Muy 10, i586. Serial- No. QOLTEO. (No model.)

To all whomj it may concern:

Be it known that I, AMos MENDENHALI., a citizen ofthe United States, residing at Union-- port, in the county of Randolph and State of Indiana, have invented anew, useful, and Improved Gold-Mining Device, of which the following is a specification. Y

My invention relates to. improvements in that class of machines used for taking th gold from the bottom of rivers or other waters.

The object of my invention is to provide a machine for the purpose named so constructed and arranged in its several parts as to utilize the force of water under pressure upon a loose sediment or deposit when rushing into the end of an empty tube that is placed near to lor in such deposit; and it consists in the improved constructionand combination of parts, as will be hereinafter more fully set forth.4

Referring to the accompanying drawings, in which the same letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all of the iigures, Figure `1 is a side view of my improved goldmining device partly broken away. Fig. 2 is a top plan View, and' Figs. 3 and 4 are detail views.

A A. Fig.-4 1, is the boat or scow, which can be made of wood or any suitable material, as the case may require, and provided with water-tightcompartments, if necessary, and propelled and'stcered as ordinary crafts now in use.

A A represent that part of the boat which is under water.

C Gis the dredging or receiving pipe, the dotted lines showing it in different positions, C showing it in the position it occupies when discharging its contentsl into the sluice-box X, and also when moving the boat to a different locality.

G represents a Wheel, to and around which the intermediate portion of the rope F is secured and passed one lor more ti mes.` One end of the rope is secured to the lower end of the pipe and the other end to a lever-arm, m, which is secured to the upper portion of the pipe, thus causing the pipe C G to ascend and descend at will of the operator by reversing the motion of wheel G. The dotted lines represent the rope in its different positions.

I represents a dipper for automatically raising water to the reservoir Y for washing purposes. The reservoir Y and box X are each provided with a gate, Q, handle O, and pin P, forsupplying the sluice-trough U with aproper quantity or proportion of Water and gravel.

E represents the pivot or journal of the pipe C C, on which it swings.

D represents a support for thejournall).

H represents the discharging end of pi pe CC.

m represents the lever-arm attached to the upper end ot' the pipe C C, and to which the upper end of rope F F is attached, referred to above.

K represents a strap having an eye, to which is attached the lower end ofsaid rope, the strap being attached to pipe C C.

N represents the valve in and near the end of pipe C, and which is worked at will by the rod L L.

M is a rod connected to val ve N. The dotted lines of rod L L and M and N show the val vc l closed.

R is a strainer for preventing thecntrance of anything that'would interfere With passing or operating valve N.

The pipe C may be made of suitable length for working at greater or less depths, `or for projecting forward as occasion requires, the joints being made as in ordinary-pipe-iitting.

S represents a support and guide to rod L L. The sluiceway 'U may be extended to any desired length, and may be supported on the boat or scow above referred to, or additional boats, sccws, or rafts.

Varc gangfplanks on each side of the sluiceway U.

NV VV` represent capstans, to which are at tached the anchoring or cabling ropes T T, for governing and changing the position of the vboat on the river in connection with the rudder.

By alternately shortening 011e or the other of the cables T T and lengthening the other at the same time byturnng'of the two capstans, the boat will move sidewise in proportion to the shortening of one of said cables and lengthening of the other, and, also, both of said cables it will move ther up the river.

The forward part or prow of the boat A is provided withA a well or opening, Z, through by shortening forward or farwhich the outer end of the pipe C islraised.

and lowered, and upon each side of whichare located the capstans W at the ends of the ropes T. Upon one side of this well is located an enginefhouse, B, which is provided with the ordinary mechanism for operating the wheel G. In operation, the boat is located in the river or other place b-y securing the shore ends of the ropes orcables to any stationary objects, or by means of anchors. The outer end of the pipe C is then lowered by revolving the wheel G in the proper direction, the valve in the end of the pipe being closed be fore it enters the water. When the end of the pipe has been placed upon the bottom of the river, or very near toit, thevalve is opened by means of the rod L, which thus permits the water to rush into the pipe with great force, which will cause the deposit under the end of the pipe and near to it to be carried into .the pipe with the water. As soon as the pipe is filled up to the level of the water upon the outside, the valve is closed by means of the rod L and thel engine reversed, which reverses the action ofthe Wheel or drum G. This causes the outer end of the pipe to be raised to a horizontal posit-ion, as shown i'n dotted lines in Fig. 1, which causes its con-- tents to be emptied into the sluicelbox X and the contents of the dipper, which has been filled with water only, to be emptied into the reservoir Y. The pipe is again lowered, the v'valve opened, and the pipe again filled with the gold-bearing deposit and waterag'ain raised toa horizontal position,when it is-again emptied into the sluice-box, the only power re` quired being enoughl to raiseand lower the pipe. In this wayA the entire deposit upon the bottoni of the Ariver can be taken up and passed through the sluiceway and the gold separated from the gravel, 85e., in the usual manner. By means of the gates Qat the ends of the sluicebox and reservoir the proper amount of water can be graduated, so thatthe deposit can be thoroughly washed and all the v gold separated. By -proper adjustmentV of the.

rudder and the cables the prow of the boat can 'be drawn toward the shoreupon either side of the river, and the end of the pipe can be let downalmost to the very edge of the 5o Water, thus taking up deposits that could not be reached if the boat could only approach the shore sidewise.

I do notwsh to limit myself to any particular material nor to any particular shape or size of the parts used in my machine, except substantially as I have shown and described them.

Having thus described my invention, I claim- 1. In a gold-'mining device, the 4coinbina- 6o tion of a boat having a well in its prow, apipe pivoted'in bearings upon said boat, a leverarm secured to the upper 'end of said pipe, a receptacle at the stern of vthe boat for receiv-r ing the contents of said pipe, a revolving -wheel or drum jonrnaled above the well in the boat, a rope secured at its intermediate por# tion to said drum and at itsends tosaid pipe and. lever-arm, 'and means for operating said drum.

2. In a gold-mining device, the combina-` tion of a boat, a pipe pivoted upon its deck, means, substantially as described,`for operating it, and a dipper secured to said pipe.

3. In a gold-mining device, the combinatlor. of a boat, a pipe pivoted near its upper end upon said boat, a valve in the interior'xof the lower end of said pipe 'adapted to hermetically seal the same, an arm and a rod for operating said valve, and means, substantially as described, for raising and lowering said pipe.

4. In-a gold-mining device,the combina;-

.tion of a boat, a pipe pivotednear its upper end upon said boat,a valve in the lower end of 8 5 -said pipe, a jointed rod secured to said valve,

a link at the joint-secured to' said pipe, and means, substantially as described, for raising and lowering said pipe.

AMos MENDENBALL.

Witnesses:

W. J. DavlssoN, J. 0.7HAWLEY.. 

